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CLEMSON -- Well after practice was over, after he spent considerable time getting in extra work with his receivers, DJ Uiagalelei made the 100-yard walk with communications man Ross Taylor to a group of media members.

The walk was slow, suggesting a dread of what was to come once the cameras turned on. These regular routines seemed like a chore to him at times last year as the face of the program struggled through his first season as the starter.

But once he arrived at his destination on one end of the practice fields Friday night, there was no dread. No uncomfortable expressions.

"How you guys doing?" Uiagalelei said. "Good to see y'all. It's been a while."

The most striking thing about Uiagalelei is a frame and a face that has shed considerable weight since the end of last season.